At K&M Steam Cleaning, we keep profiles of our competitors in our training materials. Our team needs to know who else provides carpet cleaning in Austin, what they offer, how they’re positioned and how K&M is different.
We’re sharing some of that information with customers, too.
One of K&M’s longest-standing competitors is The Steam Team — a company that also happens to have a connection to K&M’s beginnings.
The Steam Team has been in Austin since 1983
The Steam Team was founded in Austin in 1983, making it one of the relatively few carpet-cleaning companies in the Austin market that predates K&M Steam Cleaning.
The company began in carpet cleaning and has since expanded into a broader cleaning and property-restoration business serving residential and commercial customers.
K&M came along 13 years later.
In 1996, Ken Moncebaiz founded K&M Steam Cleaning with one employee — himself — and one cleaning van.
Today, K&M has grown into a fleet serving homes and businesses throughout Greater Austin.
Ken Moncebaiz worked for The Steam Team
There’s an interesting connection between the two companies.
Before starting K&M, Ken worked for The Steam Team and learned the steam-cleaning business there.
The company’s founder was also a mentor to Ken, and Ken continues to have great respect for him and what he taught him about the business.
Eventually, Ken decided to build a company of his own.
He started K&M in 1996 with one van. Over the next three decades, K&M expanded its fleet, staff and services while remaining an independent Austin company.
The Steam Team is now operated by its founder’s stepson.
So there is some shared history between the companies, but today they’re competitors serving many of the same Austin customers.
What does The Steam Team offer?
The Steam Team provides considerably more than carpet cleaning.
Its services include carpet cleaning, area rug cleaning, upholstery cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, natural stone care, air duct cleaning, dryer vent cleaning and other cleaning services.
It also operates a restoration business handling water damage, structural drying, mold remediation, fire and smoke damage and reconstruction.
That’s one of the clearer differences between the companies.
The Steam Team has moved substantially into property restoration and disaster-related work, while K&M remains primarily focused on cleaning, floor and surface care and specialty cleaning services.
How does The Steam Team compare with K&M?
There’s significant overlap.
Both companies clean carpet, upholstery, rugs, tile and grout and other surfaces. Both serve residential and commercial customers. Both have decades of experience in Austin.
Both also generally compete above the bargain end of the Austin carpet-cleaning market.
K&M, The Steam Team and Stanley Steemer aren’t typically the companies advertising the absolute cheapest carpet cleaning in town. Pricing varies by job, but these companies generally compete for customers looking for an established professional cleaning operation rather than simply the lowest advertised price.
That’s why customers comparing carpet-cleaning prices should look beyond a price-per-room advertisement.
Ask what’s included. How large can a “room” be? Are there minimum charges? What does it cost to clean stairs? Is spot treatment included? What about pet odor treatment, carpet protector or furniture moving?
Those differences can change the final price considerably.
How is K&M different?
The connection between the companies doesn’t mean they’re the same business.
K&M has spent nearly 30 years developing its own approach to professional cleaning.
What began with Ken and one van has grown into a fleet providing carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, area rug cleaning, natural stone cleaning and restoration, air duct and dryer vent cleaning, pressure washing, carpet repair and other specialty services.
K&M remains independently owned and focused on Austin and the surrounding Central Texas market.
Rather than building a large disaster-restoration operation, K&M has concentrated heavily on cleaning and specialty surface care.
That specialization is an important distinction for customers comparing the two companies.
The Steam Team vs. K&M Steam Cleaning
If you’re comparing The Steam Team and K&M for carpet cleaning in Austin, both companies have substantial histories in the market.
The Steam Team was founded in Austin in 1983 and today operates both a cleaning business and a significant property-restoration operation.
K&M Steam Cleaning was founded in Austin in 1996 by Ken Moncebaiz, who had previously worked for The Steam Team. K&M started with one man and one van and has grown into a fleet focused on professional cleaning and specialty surface care throughout Greater Austin.
Ken remains grateful for what he learned early in his career and has great respect for his former mentor.
But nearly 30 years later, K&M has its own history, its own team and its own way of doing things.
And when Austin homeowners and businesses are comparing professional carpet-cleaning companies, we’d certainly like the opportunity to show them what K&M can do.
Looking for carpet cleaning in Austin? Contact K&M Steam Cleaning for a quote and compare us for yourself.
